NEWS | Iran Unveils Production Line for Newly Built Main Battle Tank "Karrar"

On March 12, 2017 (Sunday) - Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan inaugurated the production line for newly built Main Battle Tank - "Karrar (Striker)" in the city of Dorud in Lorestan province.

The announcement came months after Iran suspended talks with Moscow on buying main battle tanks from Russia. Tehran said it was not interested in the deal unless technology sharing was included.

When the first images of the Iranian tank were made public in August of 2016, military experts said its design looks strikingly similar to that of the T-90MS, the export variant of Russia’s tank.

Dehqan said Karrar, which has been three years in the making, is among the most advanced tanks in the world because of its remarkable features.

The tank is fitted with new explosive reactive armor (ERA) at the hull front, the hull sides and supposedly at the turret. The rear is protected by slat armor, while side skirts made of rubber with a wave-shaped pattern are installed at the hull sides below the ERA. The tank is also fitted with a new remote weapon station (RWS).

The main armament of the Karrar could be a 125 mm smoothbore gun. A remote weapon station is mounted on the top of the turret which can be armed with a 12.7 mm or 14.5mm heavy machine gun.

It is also equipped with an electro-optical fire control system and laser range-finder and is capable of firing at both stable and mobile targets day or night.

The tank’s missile power has been boosted with ballistics computer, laser-guided targeting, and the potential for both the gunner and military commander to aim the projectiles from two parallel gunsights fitted onto the vehicle.

Dehqan claimed that ‘Karrar’ is “one of the most advanced tanks in the world”, “100 percent Iranian-made”, and even “superior to the Russian-made T-90MS in certain aspects,” Mehr news agency reported.